What they say

Spey has a royal link that dates back almost 200 years when Lord Byron is understood to have gifted King George III with a barrel of Spey whisky to celebrate his marriage to Annabella Milbanke in 1815. Historic records show this barrel was dispatched to the King’s family home at Kew Palace. The whisky is produced exclusively under licence from Historic Royal Palaces – the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace.

The Jewel in the Crown of the SPEY range. Selected from some of the oldest casks in our warehouse, it is a rich and powerful bottling showing great texture and flavour, with a long smooth finish. Only available in limited quantities it serves as the high point in the range. Available in wooden presentation case.

Official tasting note

“Deep rich amber gold in colour. Aromas of toffee, dried fruits and oak leading on to a smooth creamy texture.  Flavours of butterscotch, warm spices and more oak yield to a long silky smooth finish which lingers on and on. A luscious smooth and regal whisky, the Jewel in the Crown.”

What I say

Sampled during the #SpeysideDistillery twitter tasting hosted by Steve @TheWhiskyWire and @SpeySingleMalt. This was my first foray into official bottlings of The Speyside distillery’s range.

The 3rd dram of the tasting was Spey’s Royal Choice expression. Another cask selection driven expression, this time incorporating some of the oldest maturing stock available.

• ABV 46%
• Age NAS
• Bottler Official
• Bottling Royal Choice
• Cask Bourbon & Sherry
• Category Single malt Scotch whisky
• Cost £150
• Origin The Speyside Distillery
• Outturn n/a
• Region Speyside
• Released 2021
• Vintage undeclared

My tasting notes

• Appearance Rosy gold (12/20), numerous medium-fine tears and legs.
• Nose Apples again, plus other softer fruits, red apple, watermelon, red grape, toffee apples, dusty/musty, light tobacco leaf, toasty malted barley, cumin & vanilla pods.
• Taste Medium-bodied, polished palate initially quite closed, red fruits, berry jam, caramel, toffee, butterscotch, some white pepper & cinnamon, even ginger root and cedar wood.
• Finish Medium-long, powdered baking spices, orange zest and liqourice root
• Overall Quite a closed or tight expression on both the nose and palate, often a feature of long maturation, there is depth here but it needs time and perhaps a little water to loosen it out. Some lovely woody and herbal notes present too present in layers over their fruity distillate.

Score 85/100

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